


5 Times Judai Tried To Make Yusei Laugh + The 1 Time He Succeeded Without Even Trying

by i_just_missed_writing



Series: Tumblr and AO3 Prompts [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:48:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22800490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_just_missed_writing/pseuds/i_just_missed_writing
Summary: Written for Anon's Prompt on Tumblr:"hello! Could i have a little starshipping story (maybe considered to be pre-ship)? Judai wanting to make Yusei smile/laugh so he does all sorts of shenanigans to get him to laugh (but he fails and Yusei just ends up being confused) but then it ends with Yusei giving Judai a genuine laugh/smile and Judai just realizes, "Oh my god..I'm in love with this man..""
Relationships: Fudou Yuusei/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki
Series: Tumblr and AO3 Prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639108
Comments: 19
Kudos: 87





	5 Times Judai Tried To Make Yusei Laugh + The 1 Time He Succeeded Without Even Trying

A few years had passed since their duel against Paradox but Judai still thought about it on a weekly basis.

The connection he'd felt with Yugi and Yusei had become a part of who he was. But while he got to actually meet up with Yugi in the here and now, Yusei was far out of reach, separated from him by the seemingly unbreakable barrier of time. It didn't feel right. In fact, it felt cruel. Why would the universe allow them to meet once and form a bond, only to then tear them apart for the rest of their lives? It felt like a punishment. For what, he wasn't sure. There really were a lot of things to pick and choose from in his past.

"Stop beating yourself up."

Judai looked up at Yubel who stood beside him in their spirit form. "No one's forcing you to listen," he muttered.

"I thought you wanted to enjoy the sunset. Focus on that!"

Judai looked back out over the ocean. He was sitting on a rock formation along the shore in Croatia. The weather was warm and the waves mellow. And with tourist season now over, the beaches had gone back to being peaceful in the evening. "I can appreciate beauty and think dark thoughts at the same time. I'm just _that_ good at multi-tasking."

"I'd smack you over the head if I could."

"Love you, too."

Yubel sighed and disappeared from sight but Judai could still feel their satisfaction at his words.

He pulled his legs closer and wrapped his arms around his shins as the sky darkened while bright pastels deepened into blues and blacks. 

"Kuri?"

Judai looked up at the familiar voice. "Hane Kuriboh, what-" He froze.

Right there beside him was a floating bright light. It was red, then blue, then red again as white sparks danced around it. 

Judai was quick to jump up and wave Kuriboh closer to him, away from the light that was slowly gathering brightness. "What is that? Yubel?"

"I don't know either."

"Damn. Okay, let's just observe for now. Maybe it's-"

The bright light exploded before he could finish his sentence and swallowed him whole.

* * *

Judai woke up on an uncomfortable couch inside what looked like a giant garage.

"You're up!"

Judai shot up at the familiar voice. "Yusei?"

It really was him. He was a little older now and dressed in all black but the rest of him was exactly as Judai remembered. He even had the same serious look in his eyes. "Judai, are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"A little dizzy," Judai admitted which made Yusei frown. "But other than that, I'm great!" He inspected his surroundings again and set sight on Yusei's D-Wheel. "Am I- Is this- Are we-" He snapped his mouth shut and looked up at Yusei with wide eyes.

"You're in my time," Yusei confirmed. "There was a blinding light and then I found you passed out in my kitchen."

Judai blinked and looked to his left where he'd spotted the kitchen earlier. But it was on the second floor. Did Yusei carry him all the way- Nope, now wasn't the time to worry about that. "Wow... I really traveled through time again, huh? Do you think Yugi will show up, too?"

"I don't know. But it worries me. The last time the universe brought us together was to save the world by saving the time line."

Judai stood up despite his dizziness. "Well, I guess it's time to start looking for trouble then!"

Yusei stepped forward to put a steadying hand on Judai's shoulder. He hadn't even noticed he'd been swaying on his feet. "I think you need a bit more rest."

"Nah, I'm fine!" He gave Yusei a sunny smile. "Now come on, let's head out!"

* * *

**ATTEMPT #1**

_He's always so serious,_ Judai mused as he watched Yusei walk alongside him. 

They'd been walking around for two hours, and stopping for a small break every twenty minutes or so upon Yusei's insistence. The sun was high up in the sky at this point so it had to be around noon. When they'd left the garage, they had first gone to the most frequented areas in Satellite but now, they'd made way for the outskirts. Judai preferred it here. The trees reminded him of home.

Yusei also seemed a bit more at peace now as he guided them toward a paved path leading up to an outlook point.

_I wonder what he looks like when he laughs..._

"Hey, Yusei, wanna hear a joke?" Judai tried to keep his voice low but it still felt a little uncomfortable to break the pleasant silence.

Yusei looked over at him, his head tilted in confusion. "I... Sure."

Judai quickly dug through his brain for a joke. He should've probably thought this through before he started talking. "So two toothpicks are walking through the forest when-"

Yusei frowned. 

Judai had cut himself off with a smile. "You're wondering how toothpicks can walk, aren't you?"

"No, that's fine, it's a joke after all but... should I imagine them hopping upright or rolling sideways or with arms and legs?"

"Hm... the first one, I guess."

Yusei nodded. "Okay, thank you."

Judai chuckled at the earnestness in his tone. "Alright so... two toothpicks are _hopping_ through the forest when a hedgehog comes by-"

Yusei's expression changed again but the emotion on it was tough to discern. Regardless, he seemed deep in thought as he looked at the ground up ahead.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes. I've just never seen a real hedgehog."

"Really?"

Yusei looked over at him and nodded. "They haven't lived in this area since Zero Reverse."

"Oh... I- I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize." Yusei held eye contact for a moment before he looked up ahead again. "Please continue with the joke."

Judai took a moment to gather his thoughts again. "Okay, then... Uh, so two toothpicks are hopping through the forest when a hedgehog comes by. They both stop and one of the toothpicks turns to the others and says 'Damn, no one told me the bus was going today!'"

The corner of Yusei's mouth tilted up. "That's really cute, Judai."

Judai stared at that tiny smile with warmth in his chest and walked a little closer. The proximity caused their shoulders to brush every other step. _Maybe I'll get him to laugh next time._

* * *

**ATTEMPT #2**

The sun was setting by the time they returned to Yusei's home/garage. They hadn't found any signs of trouble; Yugi hadn't popped up either; in conclusion: they had exactly zero hints at an explanation for why Judai had been thrown forward on the timeline.

"Maybe the universe just glitched," Judai suggested as he headed for the couch.

"There's usually a deeper meaning behind the universe's actions," Yusei replied on his way to his work station. "I don't want to believe it just tore you out of your time without reason."

Judai sat down on the slightly lumpy cushions and watched Yusei take a seat at his desk and boost up his laptop. "Do you ever take a break?"

Yusei glanced over at him. "From what?"

"Doing serious stuff."

Yusei shot him a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Do you ever just do stuff for fun?" Judai clarified.

"I enjoy what I do for work."

"That's great! But I mean doing stuff like, I don't know, watching random funny videos online. Or playing video games. Pulling pranks on your friends."

"I mainly use the internet as a news source. But yes, I've played video games and Crow likes to prank Jack sometimes."

Judai really wanted to ask about those pranks but right now, he was more focused on the first part of that response. He pushed back to his feet and pulled up a chair to sit beside Yusei, straddling the seat backwards so he could fold his arms on the backrest. Yusei seemed a little confused as Judai reached out to pull the laptop toward himself. "Can I?"

"Sure."

"Do you guys still have YouTube?"

"Is that a website?"

"I'll take that as a maybe." Judai looked down at the desktop icons and found that he recognized none. "Which one is your browser?"

Yusei reached over to move the cursor to an orange Kuriboh silhouette against a blue background. A click on it caused a full screen window to pop up with a search bar at its center.

"Thanks!" Judai waited for Yusei to pull back his hand before he began typing.There really seemed to be no current version of YouTube. However, he did find an archive of the most popular videos previously uploaded while it was still operating. He began typing in search terms to look for compilations of some of the funniest videos from his time and was quick to strike gold. "Oooh, this one's great!" Judai loaded up the video and tilted the screen so Yusei could see it properly.

At first, Judai was only watching Yusei to see his reactions but then he quickly became immersed in the videos himself.

They spent at least three hours on the site. And while Yusei did smile sometimes. There was no laughter. Not once. Not a single chuckle. Not from his end at least. Judai had been in tears with an aching stomach pretty much the entire time. It was the moment Judai began to wonder if Yusei was even capable of laughing. The thought was rather sobering.

* * *

**ATTEMPT #3**

Yusei had been typing away on his laptop since he'd woken up, and if Judai hadn't gotten up to prepare them breakfast, he'd still be working on an empty stomach. How that man remained in such great shape truly was a mystery that needed solving.

Judai had spent the night on the couch despite Yusei's protests and was now snooping around the garage to keep himself occupied. "What's this?" Judai asked as he picked up a small elongated piece of metal with a few buttons on the side.

"Hm?" Yusei didn't even take his eyes off the screen.

Judai took that as approval for testing it out himself and pressed one of the buttons. With a flash of blue, the thing in his hand expanded and caused a holographic screen to appear. "Woah! Amazing!" He looked over at Yusei who was still focusing on work. With a pout, he refocused on the screen and found the same browser icon he'd seen Yusei click yesterday.

Two hours later, Judai was clinging onto Yusei as they raced down the street on their way to the fairgrounds in the heart of Neo Domino City.

"I'm so happy I found the ad for this!" Judai called out over the whipping wind.

"We're almost there!" Yusei replied.

Judai felt his face light up as he saw the first parts of two giant roller coasters.

"This fair is so big!" Judai said as he bounced on his toes while they waited in line for the first ride. His gaze kept trailing across all the booths and rides. Everything was so bright and colorful and the smell of all kinds of mouthwatering foods kept tickling his nose.

"I still think you should be a little more careful with what you read about current occurrences. You could be putting yourself in danger."

Judai turned to Yusei. "Come on, lighten up! We're at a fair! You shouldn't be worrying about anything other than whether or not you're gonna throw up after the next ride!"

Yusei was frowning. "What if the time stream erased you to fix itself? If my memories were altered accordingly-"

Judai cut him off by placing hands on Yusei's shoulders. Their eyes met. "I promise I'll be more careful. Okay?"

Yusei nodded. "Good. Thank you."

Judai smiled again. "Great! Now let go of all your troubles and worries and enjoy 'cause we're next in line!"

Where Judai was quick to throw up his hands on the roller coaster, Yusei gripped the handlebar as instructed. Where Judai was whooping and laughing, Yusei sat with a neutral expression. They both came out the other end with mussed hair.

"That was awesome! Do you wanna ride again?" Judai turned to grin at Yusei.

"Don't you want to test out all the other rides as well?"

"Where you're right, you're right!" Judai grabbed Yusei's wrist and started sprinting to the next ride.

They spent the entire afternoon and evening on the fairgrounds which resulted in two empty wallets, two full bellies, and still not a single laugh from Yusei. He did seem happier and more content though so Judai still counted it as a win.

* * *

**ATTEMPT #4**

The next day after a way too early breakfast, Judai suggested they go out to watch the sunrise at Yusei's favorite lookout spot. He wanted more time alone with Yusei instead of Yusei plus his workaholic tendencies. After all, he didn't know how much longer he'd get to stay. 

Yusei seemed to be thinking the same thing because he easily agreed.

They walked in a comfortable silence until they reached Satellite's outskirts which left Judai with a lot of time to think. First about his home and his friends, then about Yusei and how he was still walking around with that serious expression on his face.

 _Maybe good old physical comedy is the path to success_ , Judai mused. Strategic but realistic looking falling had always been the only way to get Manjoume to lighten up after a lost duel so maybe...

"Hey, Yusei, what do you think about- Woah!" Judai let himself trip and roll down the small hill to his left until he landed upside down against a tree trunk.

"What- Are you okay? Judai!" Yusei was at his side in seconds with his brows drawn in worry and fluttering hands patting along Judai to check for injuries.

Well, now Judai just felt bad. "Yes, no worries, I'm okay. Whoops, clumsy me!" He quickly rolled over and to his feet while Yusei followed his every move with hands and eyes.

"Are you sure? That looked really bad."

"Yep, I'm fantastic!" Judai quickly grabbed Yusei's wrist and dragged him back to the path, his cheeks burning in embarrassment. "Up to the outlook we go!"

 _That was a really dumb idea_ , Yubel commented.

 _Don't rub it in_ , Judai thought back.

* * *

**ATTEMPT #5**

Later that day, Judai sat on the second floor railing with his feet dangling freely as he watched Yusei work downstairs. In his head, he was crafting an elaborate plan to get Yusei to finally burst into laughter. The universe, however, had other plans.

"Kuri!"

"Oh no." Judai saw the bright light over his shoulder and knew it was coming to get him. He swung his legs around and slid down to plant his feet firmly on the floor.

"Judai, what-"

"I think it's time!" Judai said.

No more than a second passed before Yusei ran up the stairs to get to his side. There was a slightly panicked look on his face as he looked back and forth between the light and Judai.

"I think you should stay back for this." Judai forced a smile to his face as he reached out to tug Yusei behind himself.

"But-"

Judai tightened his hold on the bend of Yusei's elbow. "We both knew the timeline would fix itself again."

"But we don't even know why it brought you here."

Judai shrugged. "Does it matter?"

Yusei frowned.

"I'm just happy I got to spend some more time with you." Judai paused. "Aren't you?"

"Of course, I-"

"Then let me hug you so we can say goodbye properly."

Yusei's eyes seemed larger and wetter than usual, but the set of his mouth was as determined as ever. His free hand reached out and was placed on the nape of Judai's neck to pull him in.

Judai had expected to be pulled in for a hug but that usually didn't require lip to lip contact. At first, he didn't know where to put his hands or what to do with himself in general. But when he started to feel Yusei's hold on him loosen, he quickly reached up to grab Yusei's face.

Was that how this was supposed to be done? Judai wasn't sure. He just knew that it felt nice to be this close and feel Yusei's breath on his skin.

The moment wasn't meant to last. The light dragged him away before he even got to say goodbye.

* * *

**+1**

Judai was laying on the roof of a gazebo in the center of a park in Norway. The sky was littered in tiny stars and the cooling breeze of the wind ruffled his hair and brushed across his cheeks.

Two weeks had passed since he'd been cast back onto that shore in Croatia. Yet he still thought about that kiss daily.

"Do you think I'll ever get to see him again?" Judai said softly.

"How would I know?" Yubel asked.

Judai blew out a breath. That was about the answer he'd expected.

He still couldn't quite comprehend that Yusei had decided to kiss him instead of hug him. It had come out of nowhere, really. There had been no indicator that Yusei felt about him like that. He hadn't said anything, hadn't initiated physical contact or done any of those other things Judai would have thought people do when they want to pursue a romantic relationship. Or had Judai just missed all the signs somehow? Yubel and Johan did always tell him he was rather oblivious when it came to those kinds of things...

"Kuri!"

Judai frowned and sat up. Only to find a bright light flood the edges of the roof.

It was coming from the ground! 

He quickly shuffled forward and swung himself over the edge so he could hop down. He landed with his knees bent and right before the source of the light.

"Are you here for me?" Judai asked and reached out for the light's core even as he had to shield his eyes with his other arm.

"I am, actually."

Judai felt his eyes widen. That voice... His hand came into contact with a firm shoulder. "Are you-"

The light dimmed and disappeared.

Judai blinked repeatedly to readjust his vision, even as he refused to drop his hold on the familiar person. "How did you-"

"I'm not sure, actually."

Judai rubbed his eyes. Once he'd dropped his arm, his vision was clear enough to look at the person in front of him. "You're really here."

"I am."

Judai grabbed onto Yusei with his free hand as well and pulled him into a hug. "I can't believe..."

Yusei's arms wrapped around him and held on tight. "I'm glad you're happy to see me."

Judai pulled back a little so he could look at Yusei. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Yusei's cheeks turned a little red. "Well, I-" He paused. "I didn't ask for permission to..."

Judai blinked and stared. "Did you think I didn't like the kiss?"

The red on Yusei's face deepened. "I mean, I was hoping by your reaction that you didn't hate it."

Judai chuckled. "I was just surprised! Come here." He pulled Yusei in for what was supposed to be a kiss but ended up with bumping noses.

And there it finally was: Yusei was laughing. 

To Judai it felt like the sun had come out.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to send me art and drabble prompts over here (no smut - please and thank you): https://time-to-w-w-w-write.tumblr.com


End file.
